edge

[ ej ]

noun

1. a line or border at which a surface terminates:

   Grass grew along the edges of the road. The paper had deckle edges.

   Synonyms: lip, rim

2. a brink or verge:

   the edge of a cliff; the edge of disaster.

3. any of the narrow surfaces of a thin, flat object:

   a book with gilt edges.

4. a line at which two surfaces of a solid object meet:

   an edge of a box.

5. the thin, sharp side of the blade of a cutting instrument or weapon.
6. the sharpness proper to a blade:

   The knife has lost its edge.

7. sharpness or keenness of language, argument, tone of voice, appetite, desire, etc.:

   The snack took the edge off his hunger. Her voice had an edge to it.

8. British Dialect. a hill or cliff.
9. an improved position; advantage:

   He gained the edge on his opponent.

10. Cards.
    1. advantage, especially the advantage gained by being the age or eldest hand.
    2. eldest hand.
11. Ice Skating. one of the two edges of a skate blade where the sides meet the bottom surface, made sharp by carving a groove on the bottom.
12. Skiing. one of the two edges on the bottom of a ski that is angled into a slope when making a turn.

verb (used with object)

, edged, edg·ing.

1. to put an edge on; sharpen.
2. to provide with an edge or border:

   to edge a terrace with shrubbery; to edge a skirt with lace.

3. to make or force (one's way) gradually by moving sideways.
4. Metalworking.
   1. to turn (a piece to be rolled) onto its edge.
   2. to roll (a piece set on edge).
   3. to give (a piece) a desired width by passing between vertical rolls.
   4. to rough (a piece being forged) so that the bulk is properly distributed for final forging.

verb (used without object)

, edged, edg·ing.

1. to move sideways:

   to edge through a crowd.

2. to advance gradually or cautiously:

   a car edging up to a curb.

verb phrase

1. to insert or work in or into, especially in a limited period of time:

   Can you edge in your suggestion before they close the discussion?

2. to defeat (rivals or opponents) by a small margin:

   The home team edged out the visitors in an exciting finish.

edge

/ ɛdʒ /

noun

1. the border, brim, or margin of a surface, object, etc
2. a brink or verge

   the edge of a breakthrough

   the edge of a cliff

3. maths
   1. a line along which two faces or surfaces of a solid meet
   2. a line joining two vertices of a graph
4. the sharp cutting side of a blade
5. keenness, sharpness, or urgency

   the walk gave an edge to his appetite

6. force, effectiveness, or incisiveness

   the performance lacked edge

7. dialect.
   1. a cliff, ridge, or hillside
   2. capital (in place names)

      Hade Edge

8. have the edge on or have the edge over
   to have a slight advantage or superiority (over)
9. on edge
   1. nervously irritable; tense
   2. nervously excited or eager
10. set someone's teeth on edge
    to make someone acutely irritated or uncomfortable

verb

1. tr to provide an edge or border for
2. tr to shape or trim (the edge or border of something), as with a knife or scissors

   to edge a pie

3. to push (one's way, someone, something, etc) gradually, esp edgeways
4. tr cricket to hit (a bowled ball) with the edge of the bat
5. tr to tilt (a ski) sideways so that one edge digs into the snow
6. tr to sharpen (a knife, etc)

Derived Forms

• ˈedger, noun
• ˈedgeless, adjective

Other Words From

• edgeless adjective
• outedge verb (used with object) outedged outedging
• under·edge noun
• un·edge verb (used with object) unedged unedging

Word History and Origins

Origin of edge¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English egge, Old English ecg; cognate with German Ecke “corner”; akin to Latin acus “needle,” Greek akís “point”; acute ( def ), egg ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of edge¹

Old English ecg; related to Old Norse egg, Old High German ecka edge, Latin aciēs sharpness, Greek akis point

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. have an edge on, Informal. to be mildly intoxicated with alcoholic liquor:

   He had a pleasant edge on from the sherry.

2. on edge,
   1. (of a person or a person's nerves) acutely sensitive; nervous; tense.
   2. impatient; eager:

      The contestants were on edge to learn the results.

3. set one's teeth on edge. tooth ( def 21 ).

More idioms and phrases containing edge

• cutting edge
• get a word in edgewise
• have the edge on
• on edge
• on the edge
• over the edge
• set one's teeth on edge
• take the edge off
• thin edge of the wedge

Synonym Study

Edge, border, margin refer to a boundary. An edge is the boundary line of a surface or plane: the edge of a table. Border is the boundary of a surface or the strip adjacent to it, inside or out: a border of lace. Margin is a limited strip, generally unoccupied, at the extremity of an area: the margin of a page.

Example Sentences

Directed by the Edge and his wife, Morleigh Steinberg, “V-U2” opened in September and was just extended through the end of February; tickets to see the movie are pricey, starting at around 100 bucks a pop.

From Los Angeles Times

“You can’t divorce the scale of the imagery from what you might want to do with it,” the Edge adds.

From Los Angeles Times

Looking back at “U2:UV,” the Edge, 63, says a Sphere production is “its own distinct kind of art form — a new art form, I think, not just for music but for narrative film, for documentary, for all kinds of presentations. It’s the ability to translocate the audience to a new place, be it real or imaginary.”

From Los Angeles Times

At “The Big D,” Golden and comics Shawn Pelofsky, Ismael Loutfi, Christie Campagna and Torrance Hill — all “in various stages of divorce” — invite 12 audience members identifying as, per Golden’s description, “divorced, separated, consciously uncoupled, teetering on the edge, divorce-curious, looking to date a divorced human,” onstage for an interview and speed-date pairing.

From Los Angeles Times

Edge was also sentenced for accessing and viewing the illicit football streams he was selling on.

From BBC

Related Words

• creep
• ease
• inch